Undercliff Reserve in Freshwater has been named after trailblazing local woman Irene Crump - who fought doggedly to protect the land from development more than half a century ago.
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Located at the southern end of Freshwater Beach, the reserve includes part of the popular walkway and stairs that form an important pedestrian connection between Freshwater and Queenscliff Beaches.
Northern Beaches Mayor Sue Heins said Mrs Crump was a prominent environmental advocate and leader in the area for over four decades and a long-standing director of Harbord Community Kindergarten.
In 1970, she became a local legend by climbing a large Coral tree to protect the piece of land from developers, refusing to come down, even when contractors started cutting the tree's branches.
"Mrs Crump wanted to retain public ownership and access to the foreshore reserve by saving it from private development to ensure it could be enjoyed by the community for generations to come," Mayor Heins said.
She would go on to spend months fighting the proposed development in court, until it was eventually scaled back, with part of the land retained for community use.
"Irene Crump's efforts are remarkable and so it is fitting her story lives on, and this space is enjoyed as she intended."
The name change proposal was made on behalf of the Friends of Freshwater and supported by Mrs Crump's family.
